Published by Communications and Public Affairs 519 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338

News Release

February 20, 2006

U of G Library Celebrates Freedom to Read

The University of Guelph is raising awareness of intellectual freedom by celebrating Freedom to Read Week Feb. 26 to March 4.

Sponsored by the Book and Periodical Council of Canada, Freedom to Read Week encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“It’s important that libraries remain places where knowledge can be shared and that librarians take an active role in that responsibility,” said Michael Ridley, U of G’s chief information officer. “People should be free to discuss controversial issues, including those that some members of society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable.”

On March 2 from 2:30 to 4 p.m., the McLaughlin Library presents “Forbidden Knowledge and Dangerous Ideas” in the Williams Café area. Based on discussions arising from a new first-year seminar course of the same name, the event will explore a variety of ideas and perspectives that have been deemed so controversial that they’ve been strongly opposed and resisted through banning, censorship, destruction and silencing.

Students from the seminar course will display posters they’ve made that relate to banned books, cloning, sex, education, art, photography and music to express their ideas and generate open dialogue about censorship and the control of information.

Throughout the week, students, staff, faculty and visitors to campus are encouraged to browse the library’s restricted-access collection and a banned-book shelf on the first floor of McLaughlin to learn more about why the freedom to read is crucial to academic libraries.